Scourge

Chapter 8

I'll be honest, it smells terrible out here. But this is the third night that I slept without nightmares. Being off land meant that I wouldn't be looking over my shoulder for a while. And Mari? Having her here makes everything worth it. Before, I was running away to no end. Eventually, the agents would've caught up to me. And then what? Clearly, they still wanted me alive. But I have nothing to give them. Everything to know about this virus died with my dad.

"Gabe?"

I look down at my arm to see Mari staring up at me.

"Sorry, I was daydreaming."

She hums and sits upright. It's a very quiet morning, and the sun is just rising off the horizon. The water took on multiple shades of gold.

"Man, I could get used to this."

Mari is looking around for something. All of our bags are still here and nothing looks damaged. She opens the hatch to the hull of the ship and comes back up rather quickly.

"I don't see him."

Oh crap. I hope the old man didn't wander off. I know the elderly will do that sometimes.

"Let's see if he comes back. We can't exactly go exploring a city we don't know anything about. It could be swarming with agents."

Just as I finish my sentence, a door slams in the distance and the sound of rusted metal squeaking gets closer. We couldn't see where it was coming from, but it was coming fast.

"Sorry, I had to run to the house to get something!"

Then we see him. The old man is lugging a demented wagon behind him. As he neared, I could see that he changed into a pair of khaki shorts and a green shirt. His bucket hat sat lopsided on his head, and his fishing vest was tearing at the edges. When he was close enough to the boat, he picked up the wagon and tilted one end into the boat. I grabbed that end and helped him bring it on as he climbed into the boat. I got a chance to peer into the wagon. Heavy yellow gallons and a large burlap bag. When it was close enough to my face, I could tell the bag was warm.

"I woke up pretty early so I made some food. I went fishing not too long ago and decided to just cook it all."

Mari came back up from the hull and caught the last bit of what he said.

"You still have power?"

"Er, no. Nobody has power. I have a generator and very limited gas. I only use it when I absolutely need it, which isn't often. But I did have to siphon the gas from it and any other gas I had so we can actually power this boat."

"Do you think we have enough gas to make it to Georgia?"

He thought for a moment.

"Maybe, it depends on how fast we go. If we conserve gas and take our time, then we'll have plenty."

"Well no offense, but we need to get there as soon as possible. I have to-"

"Spare me the details, son. I don't want to know anything about anyone's business, it's easier that way. We'll have to stop at a marina on the way and steal gas from another boat. No biggie."

I like the way he thinks. I glance over at Mari and she shrugs and smiles. Mari and I share one of the fish for breakfast and pass a water bottle back and forth. I almost forgot what it feels like to be full.

I never imagined that my first time on a boat would be in the middle of the apocalypse. It wasn't a smooth ride, but it was full of new things to see. When we slowed down enough, you could see the different kinds of wildlife that swam just below the surface, their scales catching onto the sunlight and creating an effect. Every now and then, we saw a dolphin in the distance. But once the sun was high enough, Mari and I retreated to the hull. She seemed uneasy.